Doctor Visit Checklist
1) Make a list of your questions.This is probably the most important thing you can do, as most parents forget their questions when they come in. Unless they are really important and need to be answered by a quick call to the office, start writing down questions as they come to you, and remember to bring your list to your next visit.
2) Record what your child is doing, including feeding and sleeping schedules and developmental milestones.
Although your Pediatrician will likely ask about these things, having a list of what your child is doing will make sure you provide a complete record of everything and don't miss anything important.
3) Prepare your child for the visit.
This can be very helpful if your child is a little anxious or not overly cooperative. Teaching your child to open his mouth wide can be especially helpful so that your Pediatrician doesn't have to use a tongue depressor. And dress your child in loose fitting clothes so that your Pediatrician can easily examine him all over and can get him undressed if necessary.
A book about going to the doctor and/or a doctor kit can also be helpful.
If your child is getting shots, either prepare him well in advance so that he will be truly ready or wait until your Pediatrician is done with the exam to tell him about it. Waiting until your Pediatrician is about to walk in the door is probably not the best time to tell your child about vaccines, since he might spend the whole visit crying and worrying about the shots.
4) Bring your Immunization Record.
Especially if you are going to a new Pediatrician or have gotten your shots at more than one office, be sure to bring your vaccine records to each visit. Although you might assume that your child's records got transferred from each Pediatrician's office, it is often hard to get records from previous doctors.
5) Verify your Insurance Coverage.
Before your visit, verify with your insurance what you are covered for. Do they pay for well child visits and immunizations? If tests need to be done, what hospital or lab are you supposed to go to? This is something else you might assume that your Pediatrician's office will take care of, but with so many different insurance plans and an average time on hold of 15-30 minutes, it is getting harder for your doctor's office to do this anymore.
6) Only bring one child at a time to the visit.
Although it can be much more convenient to schedule your children's visits together, unless they are sick or are multiples (twins, triplets, etc.), try not to schedule your child's well child visits together. In addition to being distracting, both to you and your Pediatrician, one child often takes up more time and 'steals' time away from the other one. It is much better to schedule each child with their own separate well visit.
7) Don't wait for a well visit to discuss major medical problems like ADHD, depression, or asthma.
It is much better to schedule a separate visit for your child's chronic medical condition, get that under control, and then schedule a regular well child checkup. If you wait for your well visit to also discuss your child's asthma or ADHD, especially if it isn't under good control, then there may not be enough time to discuss other important topics, like nutrition and safety.
7) Ask questions before you leave the visit.
Especially if your child is sick, some things you should know before you leave the office include:
- your child's diagnosis
- when your child should start to get better and what the plan would be if she wasn't (would you just call, come back for a recheck, or get a medicine called in?)
- signs or symptoms that might indicate that your child is getting worse
- when you should return for a follow-up appointment (this is especially important for more chronic conditions, like asthma and allergies)
- how long you should take any prescribed medications and what major side effects of taking them might be
